Review: Warm Bodies

            It has been done! A worthwhile supernatural romance in a post-Twilight world has been released, and it goes by the name of Warm Bodies. Trailers for this film painted it as tacky, quirky, and one-dimensional, but thankfully, what is presented in the actual picture is far more than what was to be expected. When taken at face value, Warm Bodies is a tender, hilarious ball of undead fun.

            Based on Isaac Marion’s novel of the same name, Warm Bodies is the comedic tale of R, a self-aware zombie who falls in love with a living girl in a post-apocalyptic world. When the words “zombie” and “comedy” are mentioned in the same sentence, thoughts often go straight to 2004’s brilliant Sean of the Dead, as it remains the last word in the niche horror-comedy genre. Where Sean treated the re-animated dead with faithful accuracy to horror canon, however, Warm Bodies diverges and throws a massive wrench in the system. R is a rarity in that he knows that he is dead, he is mostly self-sufficient, and can even utter small phrases. This would never happen in any of George Romero’s zombie flicks, but Warm Bodies doesn’t try to fit that mold. Largely self-deprecating and satirical, this movie focuses on being as witty and romantic as possible in a world filled with walking corpses.

            Strange as it may sound, the love story that unfolds over the course of the film is truly very sweet, and somehow the undead element takes a back seat to the human element. Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer sell their characters perfectly, especially Hoult, who brings R to life with little more than grunts and facial expressions. This isn’t much more than a paycheck movie for John Malkovich, but he does what he does best in the scenes he’s given. All-in-all, Warm Bodies is a story-driven movie, but the acting never leaves anything to be desired.

            I’m still a fan of the Romero zombie, and wish with everything I am that the characteristics in Warm Bodies do not become canonized, but in this one-off flick they work great. From start to finish this is an entertaining zombie romance, which is something that if someone had told me beforehand, I would have checked their pulse.

Score: 3.4/5

Review: Mama

            When it comes to the supernatural, you can always count on Guillermo del Toro. While Mama was directed and co-written by Andres Muschietti, del Toro’s stamp is all over this film, and it’s apparent that his influence went much farther than his executive producer title leads on. In my review of Texas Chainsaw 3D I lamented the lack of modern day horror flicks filled with suspense, shadows, and originality, and it’s as if Mama came along to show me that there is hope yet. This is a horror movie in the style of the golden age, and it is beautiful and artistic throughout. It’s not perfect, and there are some confusing decisions, but on the whole Mama is a fun ride and is the best horror film in wide release since last year’s tongue-in-cheek Cabin in the Woods.  

            In my eyes, a horror movie needs to be one of two things in order to be truly successful: grounded in complete reality or based in the surreal, fantastic, and mythical. Mama is most assuredly the latter, and it’s in this arena that del Toro’s presence is felt most. Ghost stories like this are nothing if not dark fairytales, and the man who gave us Pan’s Labyrinth is one of the foremost experts in that field. The story revolves around two young girls who are abandoned by their father after he murders their mother, and they are “raised” by a supernatural mother dealing with her own inner demons. The children have no real human interaction during their formative years, which presents a problem for their aunt and uncle who are able to find and take them in. Jessica Chastain is wonderful as the reluctant, punk rock Annabel, and she is complemented perfectly by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. The real stars here, however, are the two young children, who work in tandem with the darkness and shadows to present an ominous atmosphere. The human element is never lost, but the ethereal nature of the tale is what shines through.

The first two-thirds of Mama are filled with adequate jump scares, understated gloom, and non-stop foreboding, all to great success. It’s in the film’s final act, however, where viewers will either jump ship and dismiss Mama as cheesy, or realize the risks that the filmmakers took in bringing to life such a haunting, visceral tale of love and loss. Mama is a gothic fairytale at its finest, and the imagery presented is ghostly and fantastic (if not a bit too CGI-heavy). Muschietti, del Toro, and co. have done what hasn’t been done in quite some time and have given us a ghost story worth checking out. Mama isn’t an instant classic, but its surely an accomplishment when taken in context of the times.

Score: 3.8/5